Lubricating device



Nov. 9, 1926.

C. R. RICH LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed April 1.'

INVENTOR. Claude/12.131111,

BY W 7 hum w ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov; 9 1923,

' 1 S? T A S oLAUnnn. RICH, or enannnarrn's, rrrcnrean, risers-non 'ro TEESDALE aranoracj TUBING COIVL'KANY, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A CGEEGRATION OF ."MICHIGAN.

LUBnIcarrn-o nnvrcn,

f Application filed April 1.

The present invention relates to lubricating devices; and its object is'to provide an. improved device of that character whereby rotary air pumps and thelike may be automatically lubricated economically but nevei theless sufficiently.

This and any o'tlierand morespeciiic objects hereinafterappearing are attained by, and the invention finds preferable em bodiment in, the structure hereinafter particularly described in the body of this specification and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a, side view of arotary pump having my lubricating device, certain parts being broken away;

Figure 2 is a front view thereof, partially sectioned on line 22 of Figure 1, the face plate being removed;

Figure 3 is a view of certain parts of my device, shown partially sectioned on line 38 of Figure 4; and

Figure i is a righthand side view of a portion of the same.

In the embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration by the accompia'nyingdrawings' and for detailed description 1n the body of this specification, a rotary air pump or fan of usual form is shown, having a shaft 1 journalled at 2 in the pumps casing 3 and driven by an electric motor indicated at 41-, this shaft carrying vanes 5. The pumps air intake 6, preferably screened at 7, vents into thepump casing at 8, the

pumps discharge or exhaust being shown at 9. My device, applied to this pump for lubricating the same, comprises a vessel 10 adjoining the side 11 of the pumps casing and having a closing front plate 12. Lubrieating oil is admitted ,into this vessel 10 from a suitable source through a conduit 13 and a communicating passage 14. A second and much smaller vessel 15 is contained in this vessel 10, and hasadjacent its bottom a restricted lubricant inlet 16 (preferably screened at17) an air inlet 18 adjacent its upper end, supplied by the upwardly extending air pipe 19, and has also an air and lubricant outlet 20, cross-sectionally larger than the, inlet 16 and communicating with the pipe 21 extending first upwardly, and in the construction shown then downwardly, to a vent 22 into the pumps air intake 6 which is cross sectionally larger than this pipe 21.

1925. SerialNo, 19,836. I

The operation of this lubricating device is as follows: VVhen' the pump is not in operat1on,-o1l from-thesupply pipe 13 runn ng into the-vessel 10 may fill it to the level of said pipe and fill the smaller, vessel 15 through'its'inlet 16,-and also the pipes 19 and 21 to the same level. When the pump begins to operate, the rapid flow of air through its intake 6=i11tothe 'pumps casing draws the oil through the pipe 21 commingling the same with the air stream ad acent the vent 8 of the intake into the pump casing, so that the comn'iingled oil and air 1H7 said casing may come into intimate contact with the working parts of the pump therein. After the pump has thus operated V for a time, the oil in the small vessel 15 is lowered to nearly the level of theoil and air outlet 20 therefrom, the oil inlet 16 being so restricted that only a small amount of oil may pass therethrough into vessel 15 comparatively with the amount of air and oil which may pass out of the outlet 20 from vessel 15. ,A stream of commingled oil and air'is now drawn through this pipe 21 and is vented into the pumps air intake 6 at said pipes vent 22. This comparatively small amount of oil, thus drawn into the pumps casing is sufficient to lubricate the pump and is. constantly supplied during its operation. I

The invention being intended to be pointed out in'the claims, is not to be limited to or by details of construction of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by the drawings or hereinbefore described.

I claim: I

1. In a device of the character described avessel adapted to contain liquid lubricant and having an air inlet, alubricant inlet below the air inlet and an upwardly extending air and lubricant outlet between said inlets and cross-secti0nally larger than the lubricant inlet; means for drawing air and lubricant outwardly through said outlet; a

vessel communicating with said lubricant inlet and adapted to contain the lubricant at a level higher than said air and lubricant outlet.

2. Incombination with a rotary air pump having an air intake, a lubricating device comprising: a. vessel adapted to contain liquid lubricant and having an air inlet, a lubricant inlet below the air inlet and an air and lubricant outlet between said inlets,

cross-sectionally larger than the lubricant inlet and venting into said air intake.

3. In combination with a rotary air pump having an air intake, a lubricating device comprising: a vessel adapted to contain liquid lubricant and having an air inlet, a lubricant inlet below the air inlet and an air and lubricant outlet between said inlets, cross-sectionally larger than the lubricant inlet and smaller than said air intakesand venting into said air intake.

4. In combination with a rotary air pump having an air intake, a lubricating device comprising: a vessel adapted to contain liquid lubricant and having an air inlet, a lubricant inlet below the air inlet and an upwardly-extending air and lubricant outlet between said inlets, cross-secti0nally larger than the lubricant inlet and venting into said air intake.

5. In combination with a rotary air pump having an air intake, a lubricating device comprising: a vessel adapted to contain liquid lubricant and having an air inlet, a lubricant inlet below the air inlet and an air and lubricant outlet between said inlets,

cross-sectionally larger than the lubricant inlet and smaller than said air intake and venting into said air intake; a vessel communicating with said lubricant inlet and adapted to contain the lubricant at a level higher than said air and lubricant outlet.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Grand Rapids, Michigan, this 13th day of March, 199.5.

CLAUDE R. RICH. 

